In the context of the map me if you will programme of Pixelache Helsinki 2011, Christian Nold (UK) has been invited by curator Susanne Jaschko and Pixelache, to realise a new art project in Helsinki during 2011-2012. This new project called Suomenlinna Money Lab takes place on Suomenlinna island. The Suomenlinna Money Lab project explores the island as a place of social, cultural and economic contact and exchange. The focus is on 'local money' as a social medium for people and a localised object that shapes and represents a geographical place. The project runs in an open and participatory context, so anyone is free to join in and help directing the process.

Early 2012

Not many people came to the autumn workshops, so later on in early 2012, we talked directly to some of the local restaurants, cafes and other businesses. The craftspeople and artists of the island were the most enthusiastic, who saw this project as a way to promote what they do to a wider group of people. An online name poll was set up to based on a list of names proposed during the autumn workshops, to give the currency a name. The name that got most votes is 'Kuula' (canonball in Finnish).

Spring & Summer 2012

In April 2012, we set up an illustration competition to create the designs of a banknote for the local currency. This competition was won by Hilla Mäkelä, a student from art school MAA based in Suomenlinna. >> Illustration competititon: Banknote for local currency in Suomenlinna Duringspring time, we realised that we had built a group of enthusiasts, but we found that not enough people were ready to invest their time and energy in collaborating with us on this project. Our aim had always been to inject some ideas, enthusiasm and external cultural funding into Suomenlinna, and then, if the project was running, for us to withdraw and let you people from Suomenlinna make the decisions. But for whatever reason we had not hit that point of critical mass where projects gain their own momentum and start to run by themselves. So instead of realising a full-functioning currency as we had imagined, we have now decided to do something much simpler. We will literally print and give away the money to the islanders. Each inhabitant will soon receive a Suomenlinna Kuula, that functions as a symbolic voucher and that has no financial value beyond what they might want to do with it! The note has a link to the www.viapori.net website which will soon be available for them to use: either to describe what the do, or offer some service to other people, maybe even give a discount if someone brings then one of these notes. We are also currently focusing on documenting the process of this project and putting together a publication that will be launched in November 2012.

Christian Nold

Christian Nold is a British artist designer and educator. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2004, he has led many large-scale participatory mapping projects and local currency projects. Projects have been staged in sixteen different countries with more than 1500 workshop participants. For the last six years, Nold has been developing an extensive tool-kit of technologies that blend together human and non-human sensors for local governance. >> Christian's webpage >> Biljmer Euro >> Emotionmaps

As part of the Suomenlinna Money Lab project we are looking for an illustrator to create a visual thematic for a new local currency called the Kuula (cannonball) for the Finnish island of Suomenlinna. These bank notes will not be legal tender but rather a complementary local currency that will only be used on this island. The island is unique maritime fortress, designated as a World Heritage site with a fascinating and multi-layered history. Every year it receives 750,000 tourists who come to visit the island via a small ferry from Helsinki. It is also a living island with 800 local...

This screening and discussion event will follow the screening of the documentaryDebtocracyby Aris Chatzistefanou & Katerina Kitidi, as part ofLens Politicafestival onFriday 18 November(read more about film below). Director Aris Chatzistefanou will be present for discussion with researcher Teppo Eskelinen.

How is debt born and how does it affect the everyday lives of citizens? Does the Euro have a future? And what is the role and responsibility of journalists in analyzing the...

Pixelache Helsinki and HIAP-Talks series present: 'Hot and Cold Debt - Citizens and the Global Economic Crisis'. This screening and discussion event will follow the screening of the documentary Debtocracy by Aris Chatzistefanou & Katerina Kitidi, as part of Lens Politica festival on Friday 18 November (read more about film below). Director Aris Chatzistefanou will be present for discussion with researcher Teppo Eskelinen. How is debt born and how does it affect the everyday lives of citizens? Does the Euro have a future? And what is the role and responsibility of journalists in...

Suomenlinna's neighbourhood festival Väkevä Viapori starts this Friday 21.10 with a money forging workshops for kids led by Christian Nold at the local school. The rest of the Suomenlinna Money Lab programme at Väkevä Viapori is open for anybody to join, including a workshop at MAA school on Friday afternoon 12-30-14-30 and a planning meeting on Sunday 23.10 from 17.00 to 18.00 inside the Kioski next to the ferry terminal. We are hoping that many people will also come and meet us at our stand inside the Kioski on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 12.00 to 18.00 to discuss how money is...

Christian Nold(UK) has been invited to realise a new art project in Helsinki during 2011-2012. This new project called ‘Suomenlinna Money Lab‘ will take place onSuomenlinnaisland. Christian is visiting Helsinki 7-12 September and will lead two workshops on the island on September 8 & 10.

What if Suomenlinna would have its own currency? Money carries social and cultural value that is more than monetary. What does ‘local’ value mean in the context of the island? Join us for an informal discussion, to share your personal stories, utopian ideas of the island and brainstorm some projects.

Christian Nold(UK) has been invited to realise a new art project in Helsinki during 2011-2012. This new project called ‘Suomenlinna Money Lab‘ will take place onSuomenlinnaisland. Christian is visiting Helsinki 7-12 September and will lead two workshops on the island on September 8 & 10.

What if Suomenlinna would have its own currency? Money carries social and cultural value that is more than monetary. What does ‘local’ value mean in the context of the island? Join us for an informal discussion, to share your personal stories, utopian ideas of the island and brainstorm some projects.

Christian Nold (UK) has been invited to realise a new art project in Helsinki during 2011-2012. This new project called 'Suomenlinna Money Lab' will take place on Suomenlinna island. Christian is visiting Helsinki 7-12 September and will lead two workshops on the island on September 8 & 10. What if Suomenlinna would have its own currency? Money carries social and cultural value that is more than monetary. What does ‘local’ value mean in the context of the island? Join us for an informal discussion, to share your personal stories, utopian ideas of the island and brainstorm some projects....

This year's Pixelache took place under the motto 'Hacking Suomenlinna' - a motto that might have been inspired by artist Christian Nold who has been invited to develop a project in the framework of Pixelache over the next year and decided to focus his interest on the island Suomenlinna. The following elaborates post elaborates reflections on the development of a community-based artwork on the island. For those of you readers who live in Helsinki, it does not have to be explained, what Suomenlinna is, but for those like me, non-Finns, I will try to describe the place a bit. Suomenlinna is an...